Chapter 2
Mia tried to sit up, wincing as sharp pain shot through her ribs. “Dad… I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Her father, Victor Langford, ignored her for a second, still staring at Mark. “I asked you a question, boy. This cash. These accounts. Where did they come from?”
Mark stammered, “It’s… it’s ours. Savings. Mia’s been hiding money from me—”
“Bullshit,” Victor cut in, voice low and calm in that way that scared people more than shouting. He knelt beside Mia, gently checking her. “Call an ambulance. Now.”
Evelyn finally found her voice from the top of the stairs. “This is a family matter! She fell. It was an accident.”
Victor didn’t even look at her. “Accident? I have security cameras on this property since the day my daughter moved in. I saw the shove, ma’am.”
Mark’s face went white. He lowered the phone. The recording was still going.
Mia clutched her father’s sleeve. “Dad, please. Just get me out of here. The baby—”
Victor’s jaw tightened. He helped her up carefully, then turned back to Mark. “You filmed my pregnant daughter being pushed down the stairs… and you laughed. You have ten seconds to explain this money before I make one phone call that ends your life as you know it.”
Mark swallowed hard. “Victor, listen, man. We’ve been struggling. I borrowed a little from the company—”
“Borrowed?” Victor held up the folder. “These are transfers from accounts that were supposed to be frozen. Accounts tied to my late wife’s estate. Accounts only Mia should have access to after she turned twenty-five.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “What?”
Victor looked at her, regret flickering for the first time. “There’s a lot I never told you, sweetheart. Your mother left you protected. Apparently not protected enough from him.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. Mark took a step back, eyes darting between the spilled cash and his father-in-law.
Then Evelyn screamed from the stairs: “Mark, don’t say anything! They can’t prove—”
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The basement door slammed open. Paramedics rushed in, but Victor didn’t move. He was staring at a particular document in the folder, his expression darkening further.
“Mark,” he said, deathly quiet. “This isn’t just theft. This is something much worse.”
